Aerial railway.



F. HOOKER.

AERIAL RAILWAY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.'16, 1907.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

W/Messs R; [fire/Mar Franc/LY Maker UNITED STATEBv PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS HOOKER, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AERIAL RAILWAY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Rumors HOOKER, of the city of Toronto, in the countyof York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, machinist, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Railways, of which thefollowing is the specification My invention relates to improvements inaerial railways, and the object of the invention is to devise a railwayof this class driven partly electrically and partly by gravity whichwill be a continuous railway and produce an exhilarating effect on thepassengers and it consists essentially of an elevated trackway centrallysupported on arms between vertical poles and formed in the shape of adouble loop having a gap therein intermediately of its length and beingbent downwardly at one end towards the gap, an elevator located in thegap provided with a suitable car in which are supported portions of therailway track designed to close the gap formed in the main portion ofthe track and upon the elevator being raised electric circuit wiressupported on the poles and leading to a tower at one end of the trackforming a station, a car provided with a rectangular frame secured uponthe roof thereof, wheels secured on the axles j ournaled in the frameand designed to run on the trackway, a motor supported in the frame andconnected by suitable gearing to one of the wheel axles and trolleywheels supported on standards so as to connect the motor with theelectric circuit wires the parts being arranged and constructed indetail as hereinafter more par ticularly described by the followingspecification.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of my aerial railway intermediately brokenaway and showing the car in position on the track. Fig. 2, is a planview of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an enlarged cross section through the trackshowing the car in position thereon.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin each figure.

A is the track supported on posts A held together by cross pieces at thetop and suitably braced together. The track A is formed by thehorizontal portion A the end loop A the return horizontal and inclinedportions A and A respectively terminating in an end loop A which curvesbeneath the horizontal portion A to the other side thereof and around tomeet the horizontal portion A but to a point which is some distance be-Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1907.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Serial No. 393,173.

B is a conning tower in which is ocated an electric station and fromwhich extend the electric circuit wires B and B O is an elevator framelocated in the gap formed between the end of the track A and the loop A.

C is the elevator carriage.

C is a portion of track secured within the carriage and designed whenthe elevator car is in the lower position to engage with the end of theloop A and when the elevator is in its upper position to engage with theend of the track A D is the car provided with a rectangular frame Dsecured to the roof thereof in which are journaled the axles D and Dprovided with car wheels D designed to bear upon the track A D is amotor suitably supported and journaled in the frame D and D are trolleywheels supported on suitable standards electrically connected to theterminals of the motor.

E is a platform leading by a stairway E to the ground and designed toform a station where passengers may leave or board the car.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention I willbriefly describe the operation of the same.

For small systems such as would be used in amusement parks an operatorwould be stationed on the platform E and no conductor would then travelwith the car. The wheels D of the car D are supported on the portion Oof the track, the passenger car being thereby held in the elevator carwhich is in position shown in the drawing while the passengers board thecar. The elevator car is then raised until the portion C of the railcontacts with the ends of the portion A of the track and the trolleywheels contact with the circuit wires B and B The current then passesthrough the motor rotating the same and thereby rotating the drivingaxle D The car then passes onto the portion A of the track and iselectrically driven until it reaches the end loop A where the electricwires turn off diagonally across the loop. The wheels of the carstriking the curve in the rail and the car is checked in its movementand is thereby brought to a standstil opposite the platform E, the sizeof the loop and the curve thereof being proportioned to attain thisresult. The car is again given impetus by the hand of the operator untilthe trolley wheels engage with the circuit wires B and B when the carpasses over' the portion A until it reaches the inclined portion A wherethe wires turn 0H and pass direct to the station B. The car then travelsby means of gravity down the inclined portion and around the curve A andagain enters the elevator car which in the mean time has descended toits lower position.

From this description it will be seen that I have constructed a verysimply operated form of aerial railway which will be suitable for parksand other amusement resorts.

What I claim as my invention, is:

1. An aerial railway comprising a divided looped track suitablysupported on poles, the divided ends of which are separated in avertical and horizontal direction, a car hung on the track, means fordriving the car, a horizontal rail section upon which the car is 5 hungand means for raising the section in a with the lower end of the dividedloop into contact at the other end with the upper end of the dividedloop as and for the purpose specified.

- 2; An aerial railway comprising a divided looped track having a gapformed between the divided ends of the loop one being in proximity tothe ground and the other at a considerable elevation from the ground,poles supporting the track, a track section, a car designed to besupported on the said section and provided with a suitable motor, an 2electric circuit supported on the said poles, trolley Wheels supportedon standards electrically connected to the terminals of the motor, anelevator designed to raise the track section in a horizontal positionfrom contact with the end of the track in pro);- imity to the groundinto contact with the elevated end of the track and also bring intocontact the trolley wheels with circuit wires, as and for the purposespecified.

FRANCIS HOOKER.

WVitnesses B. BOYD, R. CoBAIN.

